Press Release 30-03-21

Traditionally, grasshoppers have always had a bad reputation: the biblical image of swarms of pests destroying crops, especially in African countries, is still widespread. In fact, this prejudice applies to only a few species of grasshoppers (Orthoptera). Many species in this small insect group are actually very valuable to biologists since they serve as important indicators due to their diverse habitats. “Numerous grasshopper species inhabit narrow ecological niches and are sensitive to changes in their habitat,” explains biologist Dr. Claudia Hemp of the Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum in Frankfurt, and she continues, “Thus, they serve as so-called bioindicators for forests, among other things – their presence or absence provides information about habitat quality.” With her field guide, Hemp provides an important inventory of the various species and their habitats in East Africa. Many of the grasshopper species native to East Africa are now considered threatened. The rapidly growing human population is degrading East Africa’s pristine habitats through deforestation, slash-and-burn agriculture, and the use of hillsides for grazing.